The Glow

The Transfiguration mosaic, Church of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Israel

Matthew 17:1-9

 

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light... 

 

When I was a kid I thought that Jesus' head glowed in real life. I read a lot of those Bible story books for kids that featured paintings of the Masters in which Jesus always had a halo. I didn't understand that this was just an artistic tool to communicate holiness/sacredness. In my childhood mind I thought that Jesus walked around glowing 24/7 like The Last Dragon. This being the case I just couldn't understand why those around him didn't understand that he was God incarnate...I mean he is glowing people! I would have at least have expected them understand that there was something special about him. What would you think if someone you knew just started shining and emitting light? In today's reading we have a case where this occurred. The Bible never speaks of Jesus walking around with a consistent halo on but it does discuss an episode in which three of his disciples saw his face shine, his clothes whiten and two dead prophets carry on a conversation with him as the voice of God spoke from above. As they found themselves in this fantastic scene they were left with the task of sorting out what it all meant.

 

The Chapel of Moses, Church of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Israel

The Shining

 

...And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”...

 

As was often the case, Peter was the first to speak out. Seeing that the spirits of Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus he offered that they should three tabernacles to honor these three great men of God. Later on in history the Franciscans would build the church that is pictured in these images at the location in which they believe the Transfiguration occurred. Similar to Peter's proposal, they built three chapels in it to honor Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Actually the "chapel" to honor Jesus is the main altar of the church... and technically all of the altars (like the altars in any Catholic church) are dedicated to the sacrifice of Christ (despite whatever particular imagery may be above it). This is because the Franciscans understand something that Peter did not quite grasp in this story. Jesus is greater than any of the great prophets of the past. Jesus was whom they prophesied about. The conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah was not a meeting of equals for just like the Disciples, Moses and Elijah two were in need of the grace that Christ would purchase on the cross. But there where significant reasons for Moses and Elijah to be present at this moment.

Moses was the Law-giver. The first five books of the Old Testament are the Torah, the Law. Not only is Moses similar to Jesus in that he heard from God, gave directions concerning the Law and freed God's people but Moses was also the first miracle worker described in scripture (I guess you could sort of consider Sampson's feats miracles). Specifically these miracles are called signs and wonders. They are wonders wrought as a sign that the message proclaimed from these men was from God. Often times when God was revealing something new to humanity he did it through miracle workers to validate there claims of speaking for God. When you consider the time span that the narratives in the Bible occur in, miracles and God speaking didn't occur that often. That is why they were wondrous when they did occur. Except for a few exceptions Scripture records three pairs of consistent miracle working prophets (I use the phrase "pair loosely here): Moses and Aaron (with Joshua), Elijah and Elisha and Jesus and the Apostles (with the Apostolic generation of 1st century believers). The final similarity to Moses is his shining face. Exodus tells us that after Moses would go and speak to God on the mountain his face would shine, so he would wear a veil when talking to the Israelites. The significance of Jesus' shine and speaking to Moses was to show that not only was he authorized to speak authoritatively concerning the Law but he also was in conversation with God Himself.  

 

The Chapel of Elijah, Church of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Israel

I Hear Voices

 

...While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid... 

The Jewish Bible (the Christian Old Testament) is referred to as the Tanakh in Judaism. It is a acronym using the first Hebrew letters of each subdivision of the Scriptures: "Torah ("Teaching", also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings")—hence TaNaKh." Elijah was seen as the greatest of the prophets. Scripture holds that he was taken into heaven upon a fiery chariot and did not see traditional death. This being the case he has long been associated with being the foreteller of the Messiah. Jesus taught that John the Baptist (Jesus' forerunner) played the role of Elijah in announcing the Messiah's arrival. Being a prophet, Elijah not only spoke for God (and performed signs and wonders) but also heard from God. The most popular one of these instances is when Elijah is fleeing persecution and hears God's voice in an unexpected way... as a still small voice. When God speaks from Heaven to Jesus' disciples it wasn't just to announce that Jesus was the Messiah (symbolized by Elijah's appearance) but that He was God's very own Son. God implored the disciples to listen to Jesus because he was not just the Law-giver or one of the Prophets but because he was the very Word of God in flesh.  

The write of the book of Hebrews starts off by stating: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." It basically says God spoke through the Prophets in the past but now He speaks through the words of Christ. You may have noticed that I play softball on this blog. I give a few details on the particulars of what I specifically believe, but as a whole I try to find the good that is in the body of Christ in general. You may know that I am a Baptist, but I usually don't get into too many things that would cause unnecessary division. Sometimes I reveal a little more, not in an effort to demonize another believer with different beliefs but rather to highlight what I think a particular scripture may be showing. Theologically I am what you would call a Cessationist. Cessationism basically states that the sign gifts (miracles, prophecy, tongues, etc.) were for a specific purpose (the initial revelation of God's word) and when that purpose was fulfilled the went away... hence the "cease" part of "cessation." If I were in the position to rename theological notions I would re-brand "cessation" as "graduation." The sign gifts were like classes that you go to every week day for 12 years or more. They are not your life vocation, but they teach you about your future life's vocation. Once you have been taught you graduate into the working world. The sign gifts were an instructional period in Church/Salvation history but now we have graduated into a period in which we work the things that God has taught/revealed to us. Even though the future outside of school may be frightening a graduation is always a time to celebrate and never a time to be scared.

Church of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Israel

Don't Be Scurred! (*intentionally misspelled)

...But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only...

After the transfiguration Jesus looked upon the three of his disciples that had just witnessed the mind boggling event. He saw men who had just witnessed a miracle a mystery and a calling. He gave them the gift of Comfort. This is the gift of faith, hope and love that remain past any spiritual gift. It is also the same gift that we are called to offer the world. It isn't parting the Red Sea, making fire fall from the sky or raising the dead but it is miraculous. We live in a world devoid of faith, hopeless and loveless. We live in a world of violence. We live in a world with orphans, widows and prisoners. We live in a world too often short of opportunity, resources and friendship. A world like this doesn't need anyone else to walk on water... it needs a kind hand to give it a cup of water at a hospital bed and strong arms to dig a well in a barren land. You don't have to pray to God to give you miraculous powers to move mountains. The ministry that he has called you to he has prepared you for. He has prepared you by making you a normal person with a few non-miraculous talents...but with a miraculously saved soul, a transformed mind and an open heart. This is the vocation that Christ calls you to...and the only one that exists. It is a ministry with great need and few workers. It is intimidating but you should not be intimidated because Christ goes with you. So “Arise, and do not be afraid”... or in other words, get up and go to work!

The dual level nave, Church of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Israel

Conclusion & Context

...Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
 
The Franciscans built the nave of the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor with two levels. One level is in the depths of the building in an area where many older churches have catacombs and/or relics of saints. This feature is usually a testament to the "foundation" of the church being built upon the saints and forefathers of the faith. The other level is the main floor where we see the mosaic of Christ floating in mid air in the Transfiguration. The Christian message in itself is based on the dual structure of a "depth" and grounded part that looks up to the heavens. When Christ consoled his disciples after the Transfiguration he admonished them to keep the event a secret until after his crucifixion and resurrection. It was after Jesus' resurrection and appearance to the apostles that they started making sense of everything he said and did. Everything in Scripture and Christian practice must be viewed through this very same lens. The point of it all (what we believe, what we do, how we live) is all because of what Christ did for us. He embraced the death of the cross so that we might be free from the punishment of sin...but then he conquered death so that we might embrace eternal life. This was the greatest of his signs and wonders, Not only did it show that God authorized his message but it showed that He was Almighty God Himself. It shows us that we have nothing to fear... not even death itself. Christ was once in the depths (dead) but he rose and confirmed the truth of eternal life to his disciples before ascending into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Therefore, each believer should heed his commission to "Arise, and do not be afraid.” We arise to shine the message of faith, hope and love that Christ has written on our hearts. Faith and hope which continually abide and love which will never cease.

 

40 Days of Temptation: A Play in Three Acts



The Temptations of Christ, 12th century mosaic at St Mark's Basilica, Venice

Matthew 4:1-11 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 

 

It's the first Sunday of Lent and by now your fight to abstain from meat on Fridays and give up whatever additional goodies (or baddies) you have chosen has been put to the test several times over. It is a time when many feel a kinship with Jesus and his temptations in the wilderness as one of the biggest enticements to sin surrounds food. Or maybe you are a Christian who doesn't participate in Lent. I didn't practice a Lenten fast until I was in my latter twenties. Being raised as Baptist in the Deep South I always thought it was more of a Catholic thing. Like many I thought that Catholics had their traditions and we had our Scripture quoting. Of course this is a false paradigm. Their are many other Christian groups besides Catholics, including many Protestant denominations (and even a few Baptists) who practice a fast for Lent. The real distinction on Lent is not a Protestant/Catholic one but rather between traditional Christianity and simplified Christianity... in other words one group tries to keep up the spiritual practices of their Christian historical forefathers while the others try and reduce Christianity to its essentials first century form (as much as possible). Upon close inspection one will find that their are elements of simplification in the traditional method and tradition in the simplified method. Case in point: Many in the simplified approach may use an altar call, an invention of the 1800's, to invite people to become Christians and/or members of the local church. These two methods don't have to be mutually exclusive. Which brings up back to today's scripture of Matthew 4:1-11. It has something for everyone: fasting and scripture quoting. It is a testament to the value of spiritual discipline and biblical literacy being tied together in the life of any believer. Specifically these two are shown as tools Jesus used to fight the three types of temptations we encounter. These are highlighted in 1 John 2:16 as 1) the lust of the flesh 2) the lust of the eyes and 3) the pride of life.



James Tissot - Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Act 1: The lust of the flesh

 

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

 

Jesus was hungry. Jesus needed food. Doesn't seem like there's any sin in that right? Well it depends on the particular situation. Most sins of the flesh are like this. They deal with our physical bodies and its needs and/or strong desires. Food, sex, sleep, entertainment, etc.: all of these things are not sin in themselves. They can be good things or even great things but in the wrong context they can be sinful and/or destructive things. Jesus wasn't a gluten-free type of guy. Bread would normally have been great for Jesus. His flesh longed for it. He would later share it at the last supper as a symbol of his body and sacrifice on the cross, but at this particular moment in this particular context it would have been disobeying God. Jesus responds to Satan with a Deuteronomy 8:3. He basically stated that being a child of God sometimes means saying no to what your body demands if it is saying yes to what God's word demands. Our life isn't sustained by food but by the Lord. the giver of life.   



Detail of Temptations of Christ, Sandro Botticelli



Act 2: The pride of life

 

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

Satan responds to Jesus' use of Scripture as a defense by contorting Scripture himself. He tempts Jesus by misusing Psalms 91:11-12. This can be seen as the temptation to commit suicide but it seems more like the temptation to abuse his authority as the Son of God for his own good. Remember Christ came not to flaunt his power but rather to give up his power: to become powerless to gain us back through the sacrifice of his own life. To throw himself off of the temple to show that the angels would protect him would just be taking pride in his own power... and Jesus displayed constant humility in his earthly ministry. Jesus' response to this temptation also displays his reverence for biblical literacy and comprehension. It is not only important to know the Bible, but it is paramount to understand it. Jesus responds to the temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. Scripture must be reasoned with other Scripture: it is the whole counsel of God that gives wisdom. There are many atrocities that have been committed in the name of the Christian God and with a certain scripture as a pretext, however, when they are held up to the light of Christ they lose all biblical validity.   



Temptation_of_Christ, Eric Armusik

 Act 3: The lust of the eyes

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Here is where I reveal myself as more of a hack than an expert. This final temptation seems like it could go into the pride of life category as well as the lust of the eyes category. There are actually a few of them that could fit multiple categories. Temptation and Sin can be hard to categorize...it can even be harder to detect. Everything that Satan showed Christ (all of the kingdoms of the world) would be his eventually. I mean, doesn't Philippians 2:10-11 say that every knee shall bow and tongue confess to Christ? Christ didn't even have to worship Satan to get this, he's just have to be patient. Hence he rebuked the Devil and quoted Deuteronomy 6:13. Or maybe I'm not understanding it fully. Not only is the worship of Satan to get worldly kingdoms wrong but the desire to have the kingdoms of the world and their systems is wrong. Remember, Christ had a kingdom, but it was not of this world. It was not one that his disciples would have to physically fight men to establish and it was not one that they would have to quarrel amongst each other to have dominion in. The Kingdom of God is within our hearts when our hearts are within the Love of God.   



Jesus Ministered to by Angels, James Tissot

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Though Christ was fully God, he was also fully human. He dealt with temptation just as we do jet remained sinless. It is because of this that Hebrews 4:15-16 states that Christ is our sympathetic high priest. One that is willing to give us mercy and grace in our hour of need. That is the point of Lent to understand the weakness of the mortal flesh and our reliance on the power of the Almighty God. Lent keeps things in perspective: we wear ashes on our forehead to symbolize that we came from dust and we shall return to dust... only the spirit remains. It is the things of the spirit that we must invest in. But this post isn't to sell you on Lent. Maybe you object on biblical grounds to making an outward show of fasting. The objective of this post is to remind you of the Truth behind the practice that it is trying to convey. The biblical truth. The truth of Jesus' 40 day temptation and victory over sin. His latter confrontation with the cross and victory over your sin. His understanding, mercy and freedom from your spiritual conflicts. Fasting and meditating on Scripture help fight temptation. And when the situational temptation leaves it will reveal that God remains there ministering to you.
 

The Help



Justinian mosaic, Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

Luke 12:32-48

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You may know them as The Help, the Butler, the maid, the domestic worker, etc There are several names that we have given to the servant class. Many are demeaning. Even their depiction on film can be comical at best: Mr. French from Family Affair, Alice the Maid from The Brady Bunch, Florence the Maid from The Jeffersons, Mr. Belvedere, Geoffrey the Butler from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. At the end of the series none of them inherited the riches of their employer... except for Benson! Benson Du Bois was a character who started off as a the butler on the parody series Soap and then rose through the ranks up to Lieutenant Governor. That is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's verses from Luke 12.

 

So you may be looking at the mosaic of the Byzantine emperor Justinian and his entourage and feel conflicted about my choice of image. Sure, the emperor Justinian is flanked "right hand men" and soldiers on his right side (who can be understood as servants), but what about those guys on the left. They are all priests and include a bishop (Maximianus of Ravenna). Aha! But these ministers are the greatest servants. The word "minister" actually means "servant", hence many countries call their public servants ministers. I do not state this to argue for the superiority of ministers, actually I believe that ministry is something that must be engaged in with great humility. Just like government public servants, Christian ministers are called by Christ to serve the citizens of the Kingdom of God. They administer the spread the Gospel. They are caretakers of the Lord's treasure: the poor. They warriors in the spiritual battle against sin. They are custodians of peace and mercy. They are ambassadors of Christ's kingdom to those who are foreign to the Word of God. Well, at least that's what a good one is. Those are the servants that, like the Disciples/Apostles, the Father desires to give the kingdom to. Do not be distracted by the "shiny things" that this world takes as treasure... they can be taken by man or rust. The true treasures that God desires to give his servants is the ministry of caring for his children.

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Christ commands his servants/disciples to gird up their loins... the equivalent of hiking up your pants. If, like the Disciples and Justinian's servants you were wearing a robe it involved taking the bottom of the back of your robe and tucking it in the front belt... in effect making "Hammer pants" and ensuring better movement for work. Christ asks that we as his servants be prepped for service. Not only should we be physically prepared in our clothing but we must be spiritually and mentally equipped to serve his creation. To ensure that we do not slack in our service we are promised a return of the Master. Not only any return, but a return from his wedding. We must be ready to serve his new wife in her kingdom. Wait, who did Jesus get married to? Is this some new Dan Brow novel? No, Jesus' bride is the Church. Christ has called his servants to minister to the needs of the Souls that he loves. When Christ speaks of his return you can take it as the judgment after his Second Coming, the judgment awaiting each individual post death or the moments of judgment, punishment and reward that we receive while we are still living. With each scenario the conclusion is the same: Christ demands a reckoning of our dealings with each other. Are we being good stewards of his mercy. Are we serving love to his Church?



Theodora mosaic, Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

There is a mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale that pairs with the one of Justinian. It is the mosaic of his bride the Empress Theodora. She too is flanked by servants, assistants and maids of every sort. Yet Theodora, whose name means "gift of God", was not born into the ruling class. She came from humble beginnings and became the most powerful woman in the history of the Roman Empire (remember the Byzantines were a relocated continuance of the Roman Empire). Theodora started off working I the lowest ring of the servant class: she was employed at a brothel. In those days the professions of actress. dancer and prostitute sort of overlapped at time. She would later give up her former career (yet it appears that she maintained some acting) and would capture the heart of Justinian who was the nephew of the sitting emperor. There was a law on the books at the time that prevented royals from marrying actresses and when Justinian came to power he repealed this law and married Theodora. Christ's bride of the Church came from less than desirable origins. Scripture says that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Each and every one of us has our own stories of struggle in sin and shame but Christ embraced us anyway. He took the punishment of the Law on Calvary's cross and took us as his bride. He redeemed us from our shameful past and has given us his empire to rule with him. In 532 A.D. the Nika Riots broke out in response to popular disapproval of Justinian's governmental policies. It is said that things deteriorated so quickly that Justinian was prepared to flee his own kingdom. In that moment Theodora stepped forward and argued that it is better to stay, fight and die an emperor than to flee, saying "royal purple is noblest shroud." Talk about a "Ride or Die chick"! This was enough to inspire Justinian to stay, fight and win back his kingdom against the mobs. She went on to lead municipal reforms in Constantinople and protect religious minorities from oppression. That is the type of bride that Christ is looking for. That is the type of servant that Christ is looking for. The Lord desires Christians that are faithful and wise stewards of his possessions. They are the servants who will not forsake the care of anyone in the kingdom. Those that fight for the poor, preach love of our enemies and possess faith that endures under pressure. These are the servants that He will make ruler over all that he has. These are the servants that have proved themselves trustworthy.

It is said that "Good Help is hard to find." Jesus said "The harvest is ripe but the laborers are few." These statements are true. There are few that are called to minster in the Lord's service and yet even fewer who endure. Yet for those who do there is a great reward for them. Christ will embrace them as his bride, assistants in governing and victors. They will be His Benson. Benson Du Bois started off over few things as a butler but he became ruler over many as the Lieutenant Governor. That is the journey that God wants his servants to make. In return for their journey He will give them the Kingdom.

 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing
- 2 Timothy 4:7-8